MAJOR FINDINGS

Today nearly all islands in the world are totally dependent on expensive and environmentally problematic fossil fuels for their energy needs. But islands have a unique potential for renewable energy - a competitive economic situation for renewable energy technologies, good renewable energy resources, positive attitude towards renewable energy, highly visible laboratories for technology, organisational methods and financing and serve as demonstration projects and nations.

At the same time globally there is a need to demonstrate renewable energy in a large-scale, integrated and organised form. This is not possibly on mainland and continents in the short and medium term for economically, technically and organisational reasons. Therefore islands are very important and interesting when it comes to the promotion of renewable energy world-wide.

Today a very few islands already have some of the characteristics of a Renewable Energy Island and thereby use renewables extensively. La Desirade (France), Fiji, Samsoe (Denmark), Pellworm (Germany) and Reunion (France) are currently producing more than 50% of their electricity from renewable energy sources.

Some islands have set targets of becoming a Renewable Energy Island in the short or medium term. Samsoe (Denmark), Pellworm (Germany), Aeroe (Denmark), Gotland (Sweden), El Hierro (Spain), Dominica and St. Lucia have an explicit target of becoming 100% self-sufficient from renewable energy sources.

All of the mature renewable energy technologies have been utilised for electricity production on islands. Small islands as well as big islands in regard to area, population and power system have utilised renewables, islands in all regions and climates are utilising renewables and islands in the developing as well as developed world have experiences with renewable energy. Consequently, there is good potential for future co-operation, exchange and networking among islands ? both between islands that are very far on the path of converting their energy systems into sustainable energy systems and between islands that have just started.


OBJECTIVES OF REPORT


The overall objectives of this overview are to:

a) document that renewable energy is a feasible option on islands in regard to environment, technology, organisation, economics etc. and

b) prepare for global co-operation and networking among islands that have decided to become a Renewable Energy Island, i.e. an island that are 100% self-sufficient from renewable energy sources.


FINANCING
The second edition was financed by the European Commission (SYNERGY- and Alterner-programmme), the Danish Energy Agency and Forum for Energy and Development (FED).


REPORT AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
The report can be downloaded in PDF-format below.

MORE INFORMATION:
The Forum for Energy and Development was closed down in June 2002. The function of the Island Secretaiat moved to the Forum for Renewable Energy Islands, Samsoe Island, Denmark. See at http://www.re-islands.org/